Pedigree Pointers: Who is Britain’s next Kayf Tara?

It is a paradox that Britain, home to the planet’s greatest jumps festivals, consistently underperforms in the National Hunt breeding sphere in comparison to its Irish and French counterparts.

26 Grade One races have been run in Britain and Ireland so far this season. British-breds have won two of them compared to the French dozen and Ireland’s eleven (there is also one German-bred). And similarly, there were four British-bred Grade One winners last season compared to France’s nineteen and Ireland’s seventeen.

There are a number of obvious explanations for this. Yet at the same time, no real excuses. One of the most significant reasons is Britain’s paddling pool of broodmare numbers in comparison to the oceans of Ireland and France. (circa 1,192 in Britain to 6,973 in Ireland according to the last Weatherby’s census).

That has a knock-on effect for the stallions which then are not as susceptible to increases in demand and then subsequent hikes of fee to control it, as seen in the other two nations.

To paint the picture, France’s leading National Hunt sire is Doctor Dino who stands for €18,000. He has two competitors close behind at a €15,000 fee, and a further strong rank of eleven sires standing for between €6,000 and €10,000. Not to mention the rest.

Similarly in Ireland, while Walk In The Park’s fee is private, their leading sire by advertised fee is Getaway at €9,000, with Milan, Crystal Ocean, Soldier of Fortune and Blue Bresil all standing at €7,500 or above.

In the United Kingdom, however, the situation at first glance appears deprived and weak in comparison.

The most expensive stallion on the list is dual-purpose sire Falco who stands at Hundred Acre Farm for a fee of £3,500. Followed by Yorton Farm’s Gentlewave at £3,250 and there are seven more priced at £3,000 for 2021. The rest of course at diminishing prices as you progress through the list.

All is not as bleak as it may appear, however.

Until retiring in 2020, Kayf Tara had been holding the top spot as Britain’s most expensive sire for the last number of years at a fee of £10,000. And within the current active sire ranks, there must be one stallion step forward at some point to fill his massive shoes. Easier said than done.

It is important to note that Kayf Tara was not always an expensive commodity. Although a four-time Group One winning stayer, he began life at stud at £3,000, even spending three years at £2,000. And although he initially produced some very good horses, it was not until covering his tenth crop in 2010, that his first Grade One winner, Planet Of Sound emerged. Even then it was still not until 2017 (as a 23-year-old), after his five individual Grade One winners the season before, that he stood for £10,000 (the first time above £5,000) for his remaining four years at stud.

Thus is the slower maturing nature of the National Hunt game. And the prototypical development of the successful jumps stallion. Keeping that in mind, there are a good deal of younger sires (young in National Hunt terms) within the British ranks with potential to prove highly significant for UK breeding.

So, who are the main protagonists?

The aforementioned Falco (Pivotal) who stands at Hundred Acre Farm after ten seasons in France, was a top-class miler in his day including the French Guineas and will be covering his thirteenth crop in 2021. He has sired a Group One winner on the flat (Odeliz) and also Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle winner Peace And Co, and Hitman, the five-year-old who placed second to Allmankind in the Grade One Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown last month after winning his beginners chase by thirty lengths, from just two starts for Paul Nicholls.

The familiar names of Scorpion, Schiaparelli, Gentlewave and Linda’s Lad all still stand for between £2,000 and £3,250 and are 18 years-old or more this year. Which if going by Kayf Tara’s timeline, still leaves ample years for the emergence of more exciting progeny and drastic increases in demand and fee.

Scorpion (Montjeu) was top-class in his day for Aidan O’Brien, winning three Group One races including the St Leger and Coronation Cup.

Originally standing in Ireland under the Coolmore National Hunt banner, Scorpion has resided at Shade Oak Stud since 2017 and since then four-time Grade One winning chaser Might Bite and last year’s Grade One Ascot Betfair Chase winner Riders Onthe Storm have emerged. He is also the sire of Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle winner Don’t Touch It and treble Grade One winner over hurdles in America, Scorpiancer.

Schiaparelli (Monsun), the five-time Group One winner in Germany and Italy who has stood at Overbury stud since his inception in 2011, hails from a truly outstanding pedigree.

He is a full-brother to German Derby winner Samum (sire of Notebook). Schiaparelli’s full-sister then also won the German Oaks, while another full-sister produced German Derby winner and Group One producing young sire Sea The Moon. If that wasn’t enough, two more sisters also both bred Group One winners.

So, is he passing these remarkable genes on? Well, even though 18-years of age and standing for £2,000 for most of his stud life so far, his oldest progeny have just turned eight this year and his flag-bearers include last year’s Martin Pipe winner Indefatigable and Ronald Pump who has placed second in three Grade Ones of late.

Gentlewave (Monsun) only raced at three and won the Italian Derby, a Group Two in France and placed second to Dylan Thomas in the Irish Derby. He stands at Yorton Farm after beginning his stud career in France where his crop numbers were relatively small. Gentlewave does have seven stakes winners on the flat, but also J P McManus’ Cheltenham Cross Country Chase winner Easysland and exciting young hurdler Gentemansgame.

Linda's Lad (Sadler’s Wells) won the Criterium de Saint Cloud over ten furlongs at two and did not match that level of form as a sophomore. Again, beginning in France and now based at Yorton Farm, he is best known for Punchestown Grade One Champion Novice Hurdle winner Draconien, Grade Two winner Tout Est Permis and Leopardstown Grade One Novice Chase-placed Cash Back.

As the crops continue to mature for these patient stalwarts, absolutely anything is possible and this year could always represent one of their last at such a low fee. But they aren’t without younger competition for mares.

Masterstroke (Monsun) is out of a half-sister to Galileo, has a handful of runners over jumps so far and they include the French Grade Three hurdle winner Floridee. Scalo (Lando) who again is a recent recruit by Yorton Farm from France, produced German Derby winner Laccario of a €3,500 fee and only about 50 runners.

And all in the same price range at £2,000 or above are babies of the National Hunt world with no runners at all yet including Irish St Leger winner Flag Of Honour, Irish Derby and Dubai Sheema Classic winner Jack Hobbs (also second to Golden Horn in Epsom Derby), The Queen’s Yorkshire Cup and Hardwicke Stakes winner Dartmouth and St Leger winner Harbour Law, all who of course have the potential to sire top flat performers as well as jumps (think Mount Nelson and Champs Elysees).

It may appear from a glance at the list of stud fees that there is no depth to the British jumping stallion ranks, as they are now without an active flagbearer, but that is clearly far from the case.

There is a multitude gunning to fill Kayf Tara’s five-digit stud fee spot in a route that he himself (and many other greats) took to stardom.

The only way to become the next Kayf Tara, though, is to get the opportunity to do so.

The small mare pool may keep the stallion fees relatively low through demand, but what does that mean? Serious value.